National Student Exchange

UAF is a member of the National Student Exchange program, which offers students the opportunity to study at a host member campus in another US state, one of the US territories, or even in Canada!

Since its founding in 1968, more than 100,000 students have participated in the National Student Exchange program. You can, too!

Participating NSE schools

NSE has participating schools in the Lower 48, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Canada. For a complete list of participating schools, visit the NSE website at www.nse.org.

How to choose a school
Want to go on exchange but not sure where? Take a look at the NSE website at www.nse.org. There is a complete list of participating schools. You can sort by state or by major to find the exchange school that’s right for you.

Things to keep in mind as you narrow down which school you'd like to attend:

Majors/Courses open to exchange students

Whether or not you need to/want to live on campus or not (some schools do not have housing; other schools REQUIRE you to live on campus.)

Which payment plan you're willing to exchange on (see below for the difference; some schools have limited placements on certain plans). UAF Scholarships can be used on ANY plan.

Eligibility
NSE eligibility is a privilege earned by students who have met or exceeded the minimum requirements of the program. These requirements are applicable from the moment you submit your application to the moment you return to UAF at the end of your exchange.

Full-time enrollment at UAF

Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA

Good academic, behavioral and financial standing at UAF

No Incomplete grades from previous terms

Length of exchange
You may be eligible for exchange to more than one NSE campus, your exchange may cross two or more academic years (additional application fees will apply), or may involve exchange from more than one home institution. No matter what the mix of home campus(es), host campus(es) or time away, you may only participate in the exchange for a cumulative total of time not to exceed one calendar year per campus, defined as an academic year and a summer session.

Cost and financial aidFor both plans, you will pay a one-time $50 application fee and a $500 study away fee each semester to UAF. Some host campuses have additional application fees upon placement.

Host Payment (Plan A or Pay Away):Students pay in-state tuition and fees at the host campus. Students on Plan A apply for financial aid through their host school.Home Payment (Plan B or Pay Back Home):Student pay tuition and fees at UAF. Students on Plan B apply for financial aid through UAF’s Financial Aid Office. If you plan on using a UAF tuition waiver, you must complete your exchange on Plan B.

Each campus determines the fee payment plan or plans under which it will participate in the exchange programs. All other regular semester expenses are paid to the host institution or in the host city. These may include room and board, mandatory course fees, textbooks, commuting expenses, internet access, etc. Students are also responsible for their own travel and personal expenses. All UAF scholarships can be applied to BOTH plans; either Plan A or Plan B (eg UA Scholars award).

Deadlines:

Deadlines are based upon the Academic Year. There is a Priority Deadline of March 1 for all programs for the following year (including fall only, spring only, and academic year).

For example, if you wanted to apply for exchange for the Spring 2019 semester, the priority deadline is March 1, 2018.

It is still possible to participate in NSE after the priority deadline, but after this date, some universities are no longer available, and some are only available on the host payment plan (Plan A). The later in the year that you submit your application, the less options that are available to you, as many schools are available on a first-come first-serve basis.

Priority deadline: March 1
Final deadline for fall and academic year: May 15
Final deadline for spring: October 1